Philippe Coutinho Won’t Rule Out January Move

Worrying times ahead for Liverpool fans.

Any successful bettor will tell you that learning a good betting strategy is key. If you don’t have a method to your madness, you probably aren’t going to make much money betting on football. While it seemed as recently as last week as though Liverpool star midfielder Philippe Coutinho would remain on Merseyside until next summer, that may no longer be the case. In fact, the odds of a winter move seem to be improving by the day.

Coutinho shined during Liverpool’s 7-0 demolition of Spartak Moscow on Wednesday at Anfield, contributing his first career hat trick as he captained the side. While the Brazilian remains committed to the Reds’ cause, his post-match quotes seem to indicate that he still has his mind on a move.

When asked about potentially committing his future to Liverpool after the Spartak match, Coutinho said,

“I am at Liverpool and I always do my best when I have the opportunity to play, respecting the jersey and the supporters. I do not know how the future is going to be. What will happen in January, we will know it in January. I do not know if there will be an offer.”

After essentially being forced to sell Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain late in the summer, Barcelona were hungry for a replacement. The Spanish giants ultimately wound up having to “settle” for Ousmane Dembele after they had their overtures for Coutinho rebuffed repeatedly by Liverpool.

Liverpool’s refusal to sell reportedly irked Coutinho, though the player has not let the frustration negatively affect his performance this season. In 19 appearances for club and country, the 25-year-old has bagged 10 goals along with 8 assists. 5 of his goals have come in 4 appearances in Champions League.

Coutinho added,

“Last summer there was a job offer in the same way that happens with any employee and I was interested in it. Since I stayed I have played with will and desire. Of course a lot happened in the summer but my will is always to play and do the best wherever I am – that has not changed.”

“I am here [at Liverpool], we have a lot of games and I try to do my best to help.”

Liverpool topped Group E in the Champions League with 12 points, and they will now advance to the knockout stages. The Reds scored a whopping 23 goals in group play, which is the second-highest total in a group stage in the tournament’s history. Only Paris Saint-Germain from the current campaign, who scored 25, have ever scored more.

There is no confirmed report suggesting that Barcelona will make another move for Coutinho once the calendar flips to January, but Coutinho’s comments clearly indicate that he has not ruled out the idea of leaving Liverpool sooner than later.